Easy Click Travel

Is anyone familiar with easyclicktravel.com? I%26#39;ve never heard of it until today and stumbled upon a really cheap hotel price.

I%26#39;m planning a trip to Chicago in June and found a 4 night stay at the Crown Plaza for $127/night and according to all other websites its about $230/night. Is easyclicktravel.com a reliable website?

Thanks, Sara M.

Easy Click Travel

Here is an official blurb I found about ECT via a google search:

';Easy Click Travel contracts directly with over 30,000 travel suppliers. With this purchasing power they can provide the lowest prices in the travel industry today. EasyClick has a straight forward policy: ';What you see is what you pay.'; There are no hidden costs and no ';Sales Tactics.'; In other words, Easy Click Travel has no booking fees!';

It seems to me that ECT is similar to Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

Unless you hear testimony from someone else who has been burned, I would assume confidence in it. Here is their phone number if you wish to ask specific questions of ECT for yourself: 1 866 287 9803

Easy Click Travel

I haven%26#39;t heard any complaints with ECT, but keep in mind that there are hotels on there that say ';on request';, which means that they DO NOT currently have availability for that hotel.

Thanks for the responses!

I just wanted to clarify the hotel for a moment - do you mean the Crowne Plaza Metro at 733 W Madison? If so, and if you were planning on coming to Chicago for a few days of tourist activities, you may find the location a little bit farther away from the action than you wanted. Otherwise, it is in a fine neighborhood.

Wanted to mention it just in case...

Thank you for clarifying that! I hadn%26#39;t really looked into the hotel that much ... was considering it as a back up .. but will probably cross it off because of the location. Thank you so much for speaking up!

I used EasyClickTravel a couple years ago to get a fantastic rate at the Monaco that was far below what I could find anywhere else for a 2 night business trip. Interestingly, when I got my receipt it showed that it had gone in their system under some other name (not EasyClick), and then showed up with a rate about $40 lower than what I paid, which showed me the back end company and the actual rate they paid the Monaco.

Anyway, I had no problems but I was nervous, too, and called to confirm the week before and again the day before.

Given this specific hotel you probably won%26#39;t go this route anyway, but I%26#39;ll confirm the last post - call and verify with the hotel that your reservation is in place once you make it, preferably more than a week in advance if you can.

I%26#39;ve never booked with easy click travel, but with another third-party that seemed reputable and had a price that seemed too good to be true. The reservation never went through, and the hotel admitted to having had problems with them in the past. They worked with me to give me a good rate, which impressed me to no end, since they didn%26#39;t have to. We had a decent number of rooms, so the price made a big difference.

I don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s any harm booking with a site like this, as long as the hotel will tell you after the fact that yep, they%26#39;ve got your room.

Used easyclicktravel for a New Orleans hotel over New Years and the Sugar Bowl which was by far the cheapest price anywhere, including Priceline and Hotwire. It was one of their ';Mystery'; hotels where it gives you a star rating and a location, but using a little searching found it to be the Pere Marquette Renaissance. Within 1 day, the hotel itself had the reservation in their system and everything went exactly as planned.

Keep in mind that many hotels will match the lowest rate found on another site. Some will take an additional 25% off that price (Omni, Marriott brands...)!!!

It%26#39;s worth checking into.

Thanks for the responses!

Correction to my above post...

We used lastminutetravel.com for our New Orleans hotel, but I believe they are affiliated with easyclicktravel.

Sorry for the mixup.

Wrigley Field

My friends and I want tickets to the July 11th game vs the Cardnials. I realize this will be a hot ticket considering the time of year, day game on a Saturday afternoon, and a good opponent. What%26#39;s the best way to get a ticket at a fair price? Stubhub? Scalper? EBAY? Ask around town the day of the game? I%26#39;m looking for a pair of tickets. Thanks for the help.

Wrigley Field

All of the above. There will be people selling tickets outside of the ballpark. Buyer beware.

Also try - http://chicago.craigslist.org/tix/ and goldcoasttickets.com/MLB/Chicago-Cubs-Inform鈥?/a>

Wrigley Field

If you can wait until the last minute, Craigslist is a pretty good source. Often people find out at the last minute that they can%26#39;t go to the game for some reason and are looking to unload the tickets fast. I%26#39;ve gotten tickets on the day of the game a few times that way for good prices. No middle man to pay that way either.

Thanks for the help. Do you think tickets will drop from now until about a week before the game or will they rise or stay the same?

IMO - they%26#39;ll stay high %26#39;til day of game.

Yeah, I would assume they will stay high for that game unless you get really lucky, the weather looks like it%26#39;ll be crappy, or the Cubs season totally falls apart.

With that said, I%26#39;ve gotten really lucky a few times, so it can be done.

I%26#39;m in the same boat.. Coming in late may to see the Dodgers. I%26#39;ve heard you can purchase Tx from the local bars. True?

CalTrudge- yes, frequently fans w/ extras will sell them in local bars (and there are many) to avoid the obvious on-street transaction.

Which local bars would be best to buy tickets? I%26#39;m assuming ones near the stadium, but any others? Could my hotel concierge help out? If I get there Friday night, what should be my game plan to get tickets for Saturday afternoon? Thanks again.

Your hotel concierge will be able to assist. This might help - outoftheballpark.com/chicagowrigleyfield.html

Lurking!!!! Thanks!!!

I always check TA. I don%26#39;t often post unless I can%26#39;t find answers through previous posts. I got what I needed just through others questions, but Thanks to all the Chicago regulars!

I%26#39;m off tomorrow morning, wait now it%26#39;s this morning. I even just finished packing, and have to be up in 5 or 6 hours. Yikes!

So looking forward to my First Chicago trip. Going to the Cubs game tomorrow night....yes, against the Marlins, then the rest of the weekend will be spent being a girly, girl with my sisters. Shopping, food, and shopping!

Thanks for all the good info!

Juli

Sports bars in Chicago - Help needed

Does anyone have recommendations for bars with good atmosphere to watch Blackhawks / Bulls in the play offs. Am happy to use the CTA to travel anywhere in the city if there is a bar that is highly recommended.

Also, are there any good bars close to Wrigley Field that are good for pre/post drinks @ Cubs games.

Any help would be really appreciated on either topic!

Sports bars in Chicago - Help needed

thre are so many bars by Wrigley field that you won%26#39;t be able to walk a block without stumbling into one ;-)

As for the Hawks, check out:

http://www.westendwestloop.com/

1326 W Madison (pretty close to the United Center actually).

It%26#39;s the Hawks official partner.

Go Hawks Go! Great to see them advancing to the next round.

Sports bars in Chicago - Help needed

Downtown - www.espnzone.com/chicago

www.sportstavern.com/illinois/chicago.html

10best.com/Chicago,IL/Nightlife/Sports_Bars/

鈥itysearch.com/bestof/鈥ports_bar

There are so many bars around Wrigley field you won%26#39;t have a problem finding one. There are some decent bars on Sheffield right off the Brown Line that are fun for watching games. Just be sure to get there at least a couple hours before game time if you want to get a good table because they get crowded!

Thank you all so much for your recommendations, they are all really appreciated, and have helped me out loads...

Come on Bulls tonight!

oily skin

Chicago trip report

Just returned from a fabulous girl’s weekend to Chicago. We stayed at The Flemish House on Cedar St. It is just a stones throw from Michigan Ave and at the northern tip of the Magnificent Mile. This was the perfect place for the six of us. We had the two rooms/mini-apartments on the third floor. Did not see the other rooms on the other floors but ours were just as the pictures showed. They were even bigger than expected. Two of us slept in the back room and the other four were in the front room. In the front room two slept in the queen bed and two in the living room. The day bed in the living room had a (trundle) mattress under it and pulled out and stored away very easily. They also offer small kitchens if you choose to bring some of your leftovers home or if you like to cook for yourself. Mike and Tom were a total delight. They have thought of everything to make your stay comfortable. Michael lives on the top floor of the Inn so you always have someone on the premises which is nice. All of their suggestions were wonderful and if you’re the shy type, there is a binder with everything you need to know in each room. I can’t recommend this place enough. I was ready to move in. So now, onto the food and entertainment…

We had lunch at The Oak Tree once we got settled in. The Oak Tree is in the 900 building at the north end of the magnificent mile. It is on the sixth floor of the mall but is not to be missed. Wonderful drinks (I had the raspberry, mint aqua Fresca, sis’s had the ginger lemonade) and they have a whole part of the menu that is all fancy grilled cheeses. They serve breakfast all day and it’s totally a lax place with a hip vibe. We ate there twice.

We got in on Thursday evening and hit the Art museum since it’s free that evening from 5-8. The line was long but moved along VERY quickly. It was pretty crowded but the museum is huge so it dispersed the further into the museum we got. There was the normal ‘crowds’ around American Gothic and A Sunday Afternoon… but all in all it was a nice visit.

We had dinner the first night just down the street from The Flemish House. It was called Bistro Zinc. It is a French bistro and reminded me A LOT of Jean-Ro’s in Cincinnati. It was delicious. We all had salads, apps, main courses and desserts! Plus a bottle of wine! It we had split it, the total for each would have been about 45 dollars. Good, I thought.

Friday we had a chocolate tour scheduled for 12:45. It was a bit more of a walk than we thought but that was our fault for leaving too late and making a stop at H%26amp;M. This tour was probably everybody’s favorite treat on the trip. Vanessa and her girls were well prepared and we were on our way with our group of 12. We met at the old Marshall Fields store and visited three chocolatiers within that building then went on a short stroll to three other cafes with chocolate inspired ‘remedies’. Vanessa and her girls are very knowledgeable and great conversationalists. We even learned about some architecture on the tour. There are several tours to choose from and I think ours was the ‘lower loop’ tour. Well worth it. You will be so glad you went!

Friday night we had plans to go to the 8:00 showing at Second City. We saw the ETC show which is right around the corner/next door of the Mainstage. It was a blast! It isn’t what I expected. I thought it would be more comedy show style but it was like watching SNL being taped or something. The production element of it was awesome. And the improv. parts were hilarious. Since we had the aforementioned chocolate tour in the middle of the day we opted for an early dinner before the show. A friend suggested the Italian restaurant Topo Gigio which is one block south of the show. YUM! Big portions, great food and great service. After dinner we walked to the show and then hailed a cab home. The cabs pull up just as the show is getting out so there is no problem getting one.

Saturday was pretty much open so of course we went shopping. Some of us did some museums, some did some exploring, but mostly shopping. Two of my sisters and I went back to the Oak Tree for lunch that day, it was that good! We all met back at the house around 4 and got ready for dinner. We went to the Hancock building first to have a drink. There is the restaurant at the top of the building which is called the Signature Room but we thought it would be too expensive and the observation deck has a cover charge so we decided to do the lounge on the 96th floor so we could enjoy a refreshment while taking in the view. When you get to the top you are shuffled to the left. The seating to the left is open, but if you go back past the elevators you can be seated or sit at the bar. This is what we chose and had a much better view. It’s kind of hectic up there and not as ‘personal’ as you would think. But fun none the less. After the view we went down and got a cab to the Blue Agave which is a Mexican restaurant right down the street from the house. Kind of had a sports bar feel. A great place to throw your jeans on and go have a margarita with the girls.

Sunday I had breakfast with a grade school friend and she took me to The Bagel. Great little diner! Good for kicking back and catching up. Booths down one side, diner bar up front. Loved it! This place is north of where we stayed and my friend had a car and knew the area so I’m not sure how to explain how to get there but I know it was up by Belmont street towards the lake.

After that we headed home!

Chicago trip report

This was great help. I am taking 9 teens to Chicago in June, so the more detail the better. Do you think ETC would be a good spot for teens? If not, I';m thinking Comedy Sportz.

Thanks,

Robin

Chicago trip report

Glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Chicago and, in particular, the Flemish House. My husband and I are headed there in 2 weeks to take in a Cubs game.

Thanks for your report! I am headed to Chicago on Saturday for my first trip and loved hearing about your adventure!

Lisa

Chicago Magazine Best New Restaurants

Has anyone been to any of the ones profiled?

I am especially interested in thes in the 312 area code

Chicago Magazine Best New Restaurants

I%26#39;ve seen it but can%26#39;t remember off the top of my head which ones were featured...

We recently went to Mexique, which I believe was featured... and were less than impressed, but others seem to really like it. Publican also has a bit of an overrated reputation... I believe that was featured as well.

You might want to list whats in there for those that haven%26#39;t picked up the issue.

Chicago Magazine Best New Restaurants

You can read reviews at www.yelp.com and www.chicagoreader.com

Someone read the list out loud to me in a car, but I don%26#39;t have a copy. I know I%26#39;ve been to many of them and would be happy to comment, but can%26#39;t remember what was on there.

I agree with the above poster that The Publican is overrated. We had a variety of their offerings and the only ones we could recommend are the oysters and the potee.

Believe Veerasway was on the list, and I%26#39;d highly recommend it. Nouveau Indian, if that%26#39;s a term...just excellent, a little subtler ';usual'; Indian but delicious flavoring.

Think Tocco was on there, too. Meh.

Again, a list would be great help.

Really - the Publican was overrated? Good to know. I thought that looked like a fun one to try on our one-day trip, at least for appetizers, but we may skip it based on these reviews. Interesting.

I believe Mixteco was on the list. It%26#39;s in the 773 area code, I believe, though--it%26#39;s in Uptown. (The magazine was wrong in saying it%26#39;s in Lake View.) Amazing BYOB Mexican food at a great neighborhood spot; my husband and I have gone several times. Reservations are essential.

online business and trading

comming to your city for the drag races and would...

hi we are comming to Chicago in the first week in june- we will be staying in Oak Park- would love some good suggestions for food places.

best pizza-best itailian beef sandwiches etc... the last time we were in chicago it was crappy weather so we didn%26#39;t accomplish too much--anything we must do?? thanks in advance for any input!

comming to your city for the drag races and would...

Please use the search function on this forum for pizza. The topic%26#39;s been covered extensively.

www.chicagoreader.com has a great dining search tool.

comming to your city for the drag races and would...

thanks dave!

oily skin